WhidbeyHealth CEO Geri Forbes is retiring

Geri Forbes, CEO of WhidbeyHealth, announced Friday she is retiring on July 1.

During her four-year tenure overseeing Whidbey health system, Forbes oversaw the construction of a new 39-bed hospital wing built with energy efficiency, state-of-the-art equipment and the latest in patient care amenities.

She also headed the renaming of the Coupeville hospital and its affiliate clinics from Whidbey General to WhidbeyHealth Medical Center and Clinics.

Forbes said she plans to spend more time with family and friends as she transitions to the next phase of her life.

She had previously worked as the CEO of Doctor’s Memorial Hospital in Perry, Fla. and been actively involved in rural hospital associations.

Forbes thanked her WhidbeyHealth co-workers in a press release and credited them for providing “Whidbey Island with the excellent rural health system it is today.”

“Among the many organizations in which I’ve collaborated, I am the most proud of the contribution to our community I’ve seen provided by this team, who treats you as if you were family and always maintains quality of care as a top priority,” Forbes said.

“WhidbeyHealth is more than a small, local rural hospital,” she added. “We provide top-tier healthcare services within our continuum of hospital and clinic services.”

Ron Wallin, president of the Whidbey Island Public Hospital District Board of Commissioners, thanked Forbes for “her dedication and hard work in getting us this far.”

“She is greatly appreciated,” Wallin said in a statement released by WhidbeyHealth Friday afternoon. “We wish her all the best as she takes her own next steps.”

Commissioners had come under criticism for bonuses awarded to Forbes, especially after construction costs ran $3 million over budget.

Forbes was hired at the salary of $279,000 in February of 2015, replacing Tom Tomasino who resigned after serving more than five years.

Forbes contract included an annual board-approved bonus equal to 25 percent of her $279,000 salary if she met board objectives.

Forbes received a $70,000 bonus in 2017, and another $60,000 bonus last year.